The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-01-14
THE PATRIOT DOES NOT REJOICE.

We hear of rejoicing and jubilating
by ee9ain persons over the passage by
the House of Representatives of the
Edmunds-T Tucker bill. Parties are fling
ing up their hats and pouring down
whisky as visible manifestations of their
glee. Why should they rejoice? Can
any honest man feel merry at such a
timer Is there anything in the pas
sage of the bill which patriots can ap-
plaud, which justice can sanction, or
fairness affirm2 Is not the bill rather a
thing to excite popular alarm, and call
forth the denunciations of men who
have any regard for human or political
rights? Does not the passage
of the bill by the popular
branch of the national legislature
fill thoughtful men with apprehension
and set statesmen to trembling for the
liberties of their eountrymen? No man
who loves his country and is true to its
institutions can rejoice at such spec
tacle as that witnessed in the House of
Representatives on Wednesday, when
the lawmakers Of the nation, resolving
themselves into passive mob, under
the lash of demagogues and paid whips,
thoughtlessly and cruelty stripped from
vast community Of their countrymen
every right of American citizenship,
and imposed political slavery of the
Oh
600 people Is it something to
call forth praise, when the Con-
stitution of the Republic is defantly
trampled Rnder foot by the men
appointed to guard it sacredly? Is
1t cause for merriment that
100000 persons who are guilty of
no ofIense against the law, WHO
who are not even charged with a crime,
are DISTINGUISHED and placed in subjec-
ton to gang of adventures bent on
persecution and plumber? Is it some
thing Of which American citizens should
be proud when their honest industrious
patriotic, inofendIng countrymen are
stripped of their social, political, con-
stitutionsl and religious rights and
liberties, and turned over to be op
pressed and robbed by their enemies2
There is nothing in Wednesdays work
that will cause any honest, thoughtful
person to rejoice; there is moth
ing to inspire in the Amer
lean patriot respect for Congress.
On the contrary, the action o. the
House was such as to bring the blush of
shame to the cheek of every man who
loves his country and reveres the
Constitution, which was intended to
protect citizens from Just such out
RACES as is here sought to be perpet-
rated. The Mormons are to be the vic
tins Of this shameless disregard of
rights; but who will suffer next? If
Congress con disfranchise unofending
Mormons to-day, tomorrow they can
deprive Catholics of citizenship, and
next week they can deny to Baptists
the right to vote or hold Office To day
the Mormons are the unpopular sect,
because the other sects have
combined against them; next year
there may be combination against the
Church of Rome, and demand that
congressman a second time violate
their oaths and override the Constitu-
uon by enacting law which shall make
it an offense punishable by the deprivs-
ton of citizenship to acknowledge belief
in the doctrinesj of Catholicism. This
bill is not alone a crime against the
MormOns; it is a crime against every
citizen in the nation, violation of the
rights of every individual, and threat
against the citizenship of all. The men
Who now rejoice, If they we're true
patriots and were blessed with the spirit
OF the Constitution, would feel more like
weeping over Wednesdays work Only !
the ignorant, the selfish who expect to.
profit from the plumber, and the knaves
can rejoice st sucl a time; only men
who look upon American citizenship as
something emitting the holder to rob
and Cypress, can contemplate with
pleasure the Acknowledgement of com.
m1nity which has broken no law, which
has been unfaithiul to none of its obi !
cations TO the government, which has
done nothing more than to ask TO be
ermitted to believe in God and worship !
Him as He commands.
A BRAVE GOVERNOR.